Manchester United promise ticket review after 'shocking' change caused by Sir Jim Ratcliffe cuts
Manchester United have committed to making a business case to restore European away ticket collections for next season, following the scrapping of the system after cuts made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
For fixtures in the Champions League and Europa League, United fans have previously picked up their match tickets in the country where the fixture was being played, meaning club staff would be sent to designated collection points to hand out tickets to fans with valid identification.
It was viewed as a successful system that prevented fans from buying tickets to inflate their credits without actually attending the match. It also stopped supporters from buying tickets with the intention of immediately selling them for credits but it was scrapped this season.
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However, the European collections stopped as a direct result of the decision by Ratcliffe to axe 250 jobs at the club and United explained they could no longer justify its cost.
Having said that, a "commitment" has been made following recent feedback and United have said they will make a business case to restore European away collections for next season.
The Manchester Evening News highlighted the issue in October. Fans were deeply unhappy and one tweeted "the cuts have gone too far" while another described the change as "shocking".
Jim Liggett, operations and maintenance director at United, discussed the system being scrapped in October's fans' forum and it was a prominent talking point again at this month's meeting.
The fan representatives have challenged United on the ticketing issue. They believe the system is valued and made a case that the change has had a negative impact.
They asked whether the European away ticket collections are likely to return and the club said there is currently no scope for the remainder of the season due to cost measures, but promised it would be reviewed, which gives hope the popular system could return for 2025/26.
In the meantime, the fan representatives proposed “freezing” the credit system as a viable alternative to maintain the integrity of the widely recognised fair system until the budget can be reviewed for next season, stressing the importance of preserving the system until then.
The forum agreed to set up a sub-group to discuss proposals and collate fan feedback, and a potential ticket collection if United get to a domestic European away game was mentioned.